2026/08/21

Jesus Died for Our Sins? 🇺🇸✝️ American Christian Dares Sheikh Ahmad Deedat - Bold Answer Shocks Many - YouTube

Jesus Died for Our Sins? 🇺🇸✝️ American Christian Dares Sheikh Ahmad Deedat - Bold Answer Shocks Many - YouTube

Jesus Died for Our Sins? 🇺🇸✝️ American Christian Dares Sheikh Ahmad Deedat - Bold Answer Shocks Many
Muslim Speakers
429,283 views  Premiered Feb 20, 2026  
====
In this powerful debate, an American Christian boldly declares that Jesus died for our sins.

He argues that all humanity is sinful and that original sin is a fundamental Christian truth.

With confidence, he challenges Sheikh Ahmad Deedat to respond to this core belief.

Is salvation only possible through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ?

Sheikh Ahmad Deedat delivers a calm yet firm answer rooted in scripture and logic.

His response questions key assumptions and invites viewers to reflect deeply.

===
Transcript
===
0:000 secondsMy name is John Zech and I work at Quite University at the faculty of arts. I teach English. Um
0:088 secondsI first of all would like to just address the idea that you talked about original sin versus sin actually committed by the person. I myself am a
0:1616 secondssinner. I stand here a sinner before you and before God. I'm a sinner originally and I'm a sinner because I and because
0:2424 secondsof original sin, I have chosen to sin. I have a tendency to do that which is wrong. Now, I'm not sure, but I I believe that the story is fairly much
0:3333 secondsthe same in the Quran and in the in the uh uh Old Testament that of when Ibrahim took his son onto the mountain to
0:4242 secondssacrifice his son to prove to God that his his obedience to God would be complete. And as I took his knife to
0:5151 secondshold it and to sacrifice his son, God provided a sacrifice for provided a substitution for that son so that I
1:011 minute, 1 secondwould not have to kill his son. But then he provided the lamb. Now I can tell you that before I committed my life to Jesus
1:091 minute, 9 secondsChrist that I felt the weight of sin. I felt the weight of those things. I had never killed. I had never I had never stolen from banks. I had never done some
1:181 minute, 18 secondsof these more more uh uh heinous type of crimes and yet I felt the weight of sin.
1:261 minute, 26 secondsAnd I can also say that as I recognized that Jesus Christ died historically for the sins of the world and as I
1:341 minute, 34 secondsrecognized that and submitted myself to him that the weight of sin was taken off. I can also say as of this moment that I know without a shadow of a doubt
1:431 minute, 43 secondsthat if I were to die as I'm talking to you that I would go to stand before God and God would look at me and he'd say
1:511 minute, 51 secondswelcome home my son and because of that I stand here and I and nobody after I die even if I were a prophet nobody
2:002 minutesafter I died would have to say peace be upon him because I know that that without a shadow of a doubt I would stand and I would be totally accepted by
2:082 minutes, 8 secondsGod because of the e because of the atoning sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ. And we can talk about semantics.
2:162 minutes, 16 secondsWe can talk about about things. You you surely are a learned man. You're learned both in the Quran and in the Bible, the Injil. And I appreciate that. And I
2:242 minutes, 24 secondsconsider it an honor to be able to talk to you. And be but but I'll tell you what that I've talked to many many many
2:332 minutes, 33 secondsMuslims and I've said if you were to die at this moment what what would happen to you and in the New Testament Jesus says
2:412 minutes, 41 secondsthese things are written it's it's written in the book of first John and he says these things are written that you might know that you have eternal life
2:502 minutes, 50 secondsand this life is in Jesus Christ. Thank you Mr. Chairman and brethren,
2:562 minutes, 56 secondsI'm sure you know you have you have discovered that no question was asked.
3:073 minutes, 7 secondsIt was his point of view about how he sees things, what he believes and he came forth to testify and he testified
3:163 minutes, 16 secondsthough he had spoken you know so many things he's touched about the original sin and then he felt the weight of sin on him and now he accepted Christ and
3:253 minutes, 25 secondsthe weight is gone off and all that all that that means now this is what he has got is the right thing
3:323 minutes, 32 secondsbut he had didn't come forward to contradict a single statement I made I said sin is not inherited
3:413 minutes, 41 secondsand your Bible says the same. The soul that sinnth it shall die. You heard that before a 100 times over and you see that
3:503 minutes, 50 secondsread it in Christian literature. The soul that sinnth it shall die. And we all have sinned and we must die unless somebody pays for your sins.
3:593 minutes, 59 secondsYou know amazing thing that the Christian puts a full stop where there's no full stop.
4:084 minutes, 8 secondsIt's a part of the verse. First phrase, the soul that sinnth, it shall die. It continues, "The son shall not bear the
4:164 minutes, 16 secondsiniquity of the father." Father Adam, he sinned. We are his sons and daughters.
4:224 minutes, 22 secondsYou are not going to pay for the iniquity of your father. Neither shall the father pay the iniquity of the son.
4:274 minutes, 27 secondsHis children, his children today, yesterday in San Francisco, 300,000 sodomites.
4:354 minutes, 35 secondsWe call them konut. They gather in San Francisco in a pilgrimage. Hajj. They're making Hajj in p in San Francisco led by 50 lesbians on motorcycles.
4:454 minutes, 45 secondsGod Almighty will not ask Adam and say, "Look at your children. This rubbish, abominable people. Look at them." No, he
4:524 minutes, 52 secondswill not reproach Adam for that. Neither shall the father be the iniquity of the son.
4:584 minutes, 58 secondsThe righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him. You are a good man. Your goodness, God will reward you. And the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon
5:065 minutes, 6 secondshim. A wicked man he does any wicked thing he will have to pay for it.
5:125 minutes, 12 secondsBut if the wicked the way to salvation in that one verse the whole of theology is given in your book in the book of Ezekiel 18:20.
5:245 minutes, 24 secondsBut if the wicked, the sinner will turn means repent from all the sin that he has committed and from there on do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live. He shall not die.
5:365 minutes, 36 secondsThat is God talking.
5:395 minutes, 39 secondsIf the way to salvation was, he should have said, "But the wicked, if he believes in my son that going to come 2,000 years later, he's going to die on
5:475 minutes, 47 secondsthe cross for me." It would have been something. He says, "No, you repent and do good. God will forgive you your sins.
5:545 minutes, 54 secondsHe is not Shillock. He does not want a pound of flesh from you. He doesn't want blood from you. The example you gave about Abraham.
6:026 minutes, 2 secondsWhat was all the story about? You see, we lost the mark. It's a story. Abraham offering his son. What for? Didn't God know whether he'll pass the test or not?
6:136 minutes, 13 secondsHe said God was testing him. What for?
6:156 minutes, 15 secondsDidn't God know whether he'll fail or he will pass? Of course, he knew. Then why did he do all this? You see in Babylonia
6:246 minutes, 24 secondsin the time of Abraham human sacrifice was prevalent. People were proud. You can be programmed brainwashed like
6:316 minutes, 31 secondszombies to sacrifice your own sons and daughters. They were doing it and they were getting pleasure in it. The human mind you can cultivate anything in the
6:386 minutes, 38 secondsmind your own child. And so I'm giving my what is the sheep or a goat? [music] You know my own child. I brought him up.
6:466 minutes, 46 secondsHe's 16 years old now. Handsome young man or young beautiful maiden. I says I sacrifice her for God. Sickness you can
6:536 minutes, 53 secondsdevelop that sickness. The human mind is capable of doing all that. This was prevalent. God Almighty wants you not to
7:007 minutesdo that. So he enacts a drama for you to learn a lesson.
7:047 minutes, 4 secondsSo he says look sacrifice your son in a dream. He say it's a dream. Again the thing that you love most his only son is his only son.
7:167 minutes, 16 secondsThis is thy only son.
7:197 minutes, 19 secondsThe Christians say it was Isaac. I said, "Look, man, raise your brains." He says, "Your only son at any time, if he had an
7:277 minutes, 27 secondsonly son, it was Ismile. For 13 years, he was the only son and seed of Abraham." Isaac was born 13 years later.
7:347 minutes, 34 secondsAnd Ismael was accepted by God as the son and seed of Abraham. No less than 12 times in the Bible, he's called, "And as for Ishmael, thy son, and as for Ishmael
7:427 minutes, 42 secondsthy seed." God Almighty, if he recognized Ismael as his son and his seed, for 13 years, he was the only son.
7:487 minutes, 48 secondsIsaac could never have been the only son at any time.
7:527 minutes, 52 secondsSo enact a scene, a drama. I said, "Look, do this." And he's about to do. God says, "No, I was only testing you."
8:008 minutesWhat? He is enacting a scene for mankind that I want no sacrifice.
8:068 minutes, 6 secondsNo human, no sinner or saint should die for somebody else, for somebody else.
8:148 minutes, 14 secondsYou commit murder, you die for your sins. not an innocent man.
8:208 minutes, 20 secondsThis is the law of God. [music] He's telling you, he says, look, God is satisfied with a willingness on your part. What he wants is that you are show
8:278 minutes, 27 secondsyour willingness that whatever, oh Lord, you tell me, you say pray five times a day. I said I'll pray five. He said 50 times. I said 50 times. He said one
8:348 minutes, 34 secondswhole month you fast. I said yes. It's a whole year. If it is from my lord, I say fast whole year. Whatever he says, my lord, I'm prepared to submit to you to
8:428 minutes, 42 secondsshow my willingness. I'm making this sacrifice as a remembrance. of that that he's telling you, God is telling you, I
8:498 minutes, 49 secondswant no sacrifice, no flesh and blood of goats and cows are good for you. Why an
8:568 minutes, 56 secondsinnocent human being? So the Quran says they didn't kill him and they didn't crucify him. And this is what the Bible
9:049 minutes, 4 secondssays. This is the shaking part. You see, I said your Bible says the same, sir. I said, you see, you read this book in
9:129 minutes, 12 secondsyour own language, your own mother tongue in English. You are an English man. I take it. You're an English man.
9:189 minutes, 18 secondsBritisher or American? Yeah, you're an American English speaking fellow. Still English. See, you're not speaking German at home.
9:269 minutes, 26 secondsYou speak English. English is your mother tongue. I said you English people, English speaking people, you read this book. You Arabs, you read this book in your own mother tongue. Take the
9:359 minutes, 35 secondsArabic Bible for you. The Udu is speaking for his reason in Udu and the Zulu in Zulu. And the African and Africans, every human being on earth
9:429 minutes, 42 secondstoday, 2,000 different languages, they have the Bible for them in their own mother tongue. And each and every one of these group,
9:509 minutes, 50 secondsthey understand, misunderstand what they're reading. Amazing. It's an amazing thing. You know, we can all I said at the beginning, we can all be
9:599 minutes, 59 secondsprogrammed into anything. We can all behave like zombies with donkeys with blinkers on. All I said all, I'm not pointing a finger at the Christian. all
10:0810 minutes, 8 secondswhether Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Jew, atheist, anybody, everybody can be programmed, brainwashed into anything.
10:1610 minutes, 16 secondsSo I said, now you read this book in your own mother tongue and you understand the exact opposite of what you're reading. Exact opposite. Not just
10:2310 minutes, 23 secondsmisunderstanding, exact opposite. If you are told in the Holy Bible, thou shalt not commit adultery, you understand that thou shalt commit adultery. So act. What
10:3310 minutes, 33 secondsdo you think for zombies? I said, "Look, I prove it to you." You read the gospel of St. Luke chapter 24:36.
10:4310 minutes, 43 secondsIt says, "And Jesus returned to that upper room where they had the last supper." The Christian will understand this better than the Muslim because they know the whole background to what I'm talking after his alleged crucifixion.
10:5210 minutes, 52 secondsHe goes to that upper room where they had the last supper. And he goes in and he says, "Shalamakum in Hebrew." Same asalam alaikum in Arabic. When he said, "Peace be unto you," his disciples were
11:0111 minutes, 1 secondterrified. So I'm asking why were they terrified?
11:0511 minutes, 5 secondsSo Luke tells us that they were afrighted because they thought he was a spirit. They thought that's the reason
11:1411 minutes, 14 secondsthey thought he was a spook, a ghost. So they are terrified. People are terrified of ghost and spooks. We all are. So
11:2111 minutes, 21 secondsJesus wants to assure them that is not what they're thinking. They're thinking he's come back from the dead. He was dead and he's resurrected. He's come
11:2811 minutes, 28 secondsback. So he says says behold my hands and my feet in me
11:3611 minutes, 36 secondsthat it is I myself handle me and see
11:4411 minutes, 44 secondsfor the spirit has no flesh and bones as you see me have and they felt him I'm reading and they believe not for joy means they were overjoyed then it's an
11:5211 minutes, 52 secondsanticlimax they thought the man is dead and buried stinking in his grave but that man is here alive and we feel him.
11:5811 minutes, 58 secondsHe's the same Jesus. So it says, "And they believed not for joy and wondered what happened, man. We thought the man
12:0512 minutes, 5 secondswas dead and buried." So he says, "Have you got here anything to eat?
12:1712 minutes, 17 secondsAnd they gave him a piece of royal fish and a honeycomb. And he took it and he act in the very side to prove what? That is a ghost. He's a spirit. He's a spook.
12:2612 minutes, 26 secondsCome on. Come on. Tell me." No. And the same fellow man, damn fools, what are you afraid of before? That's what he's telling you. What are you? And the whole
12:3412 minutes, 34 secondsChristian world in every language of the world, they say he's a spirit. He said a spirit has no flesh and bones. If I got flesh and bones in your language, you
12:4112 minutes, 41 secondsArabs, I'm asking you the Arabs. I said, look, if I got flesh and bones, I'm not a spirit. I'm not a ghost. I'm not a
12:4912 minutes, 49 secondsspook. Is that what it means in your language? You said yes. to the English man I said if I said because I have
12:5612 minutes, 56 secondsflesh and bones I'm not a spirit I'm not a ghost I'm not a spook is that what it means in your language the English man
13:0313 minutes, 3 secondssays yes the Africana says yes the zuru says yes but now his salvation depends upon that so he hears and he doesn't
13:1113 minutes, 11 secondshear this is what happened he's hearing but he won't accept because that's easy way it's an easy way like swagat was
13:1913 minutes, 19 secondssaying you see so you Muslims get the tape get the tape If you haven't got it, get the tape. It'll be history.
13:2713 minutes, 27 secondsSwagat is history.
13:2913 minutes, 29 secondsHe said, "You Muslims, you don't drink." You know why you don't drink? Because you are afraid. They'll cut your toes.
13:3513 minutes, 35 secondsThey'll cut your nose. Huh? They'll cut your thumb. That's what he said. That's the reason. You know, you're afraid that somebody will cut your nose. They'll cut your toes. Is that the reason?
13:4713 minutes, 47 secondsThat's what he said. But he says we Christians that there is no explanation.
13:5113 minutes, 51 secondsHe has to listen to you. At least you have done your duty. You have delivered the message. Next one.
13:5613 minutes, 56 secondsUm I'm British. I'm a Christian. I have one question. Um firstly, I I'd like to
14:0414 minutes, 4 secondsremind us what it says in the Quran. And it says that Christians and Muslims are closest to one another. This is what it says in the Quran. And I thank God for
14:1314 minutes, 13 secondsthe opportunity to listen. And may we always be able to share together. And when we share, may we share with
14:2214 minutes, 22 secondspatience and with love and peace and not as we did in the crusades fighting each other. May God forgive us for these
14:3114 minutes, 31 secondsatrocities of the past. I'm not a scholar but I have one question I have read a little bit. It seems the main
14:3814 minutes, 38 secondsdifference uh really is on the is the person of uh Jesus Christ who the Quran as you said does speak very highly of.
14:4814 minutes, 48 secondsNow I have one question as I say I'm not a scholar. Um my question is if Jesus is God's word as it says in the Quran
14:5614 minutes, 56 secondsthat's calah and also God's spirit
15:0315 minutes, 3 secondsthen why do we need to separate him from God? If God has no spirit then he would be dead which is quite impossible. And
15:1215 minutes, 12 secondsif he has no word he must be dumb which is also impossible.
15:1815 minutes, 18 secondsSo it's not a problem for us because uh to call Jesus the son of God which I know you would not accept but it's not a
15:2515 minutes, 25 secondsproblem for us to say this because as it says in the Quran that Jesus is God's word
15:3215 minutes, 32 secondsuh he in other words he speaks and he is also God's spirit Allah and I would also
15:4015 minutes, 40 secondslike to say finally then I'll sit down that you can talk as much as you like about Christianity but it is a personal
15:4715 minutes, 47 secondsexperience of the living God. And when Jesus ascended to heaven, he sent the spirit of God down for all people. And
15:5615 minutes, 56 secondsunless you have that spirit inside you, you can talk as much as you like about Christianity, but you will not know God
16:0416 minutes, 4 secondsin the way Christians claim. And that's all I can say. Thank you for listening.
16:1016 minutes, 10 secondsAnd uh as I say, may we go our different ways in peace. Thank you.
16:2016 minutes, 20 secondsUh theologically uh our questioner Christian brother has put so many things
16:2816 minutes, 28 secondsbut in essence if I'm correct that the Quran describes Isaam as the word of God
16:3616 minutes, 36 secondsand as the spirit of God and you can't separate the spirit from God. In other words, he is God. Am I correct in my assumption? That's it.
16:4916 minutes, 49 secondsYou see, we seem to have a little broader understanding this word of God that he is the word.
17:0117 minutes, 1 secondChapter 3 verse 45.
17:0817 minutes, 8 secondsSo behold the angel said, "Oh Mary, Allah gives you glad tidings of a word from him.
17:2017 minutes, 20 secondsHis name will be the Messiah and so on and so on." He is a word from Allah.
17:2717 minutes, 27 secondsWhat is a word? The Christians say the word of God is God.
17:3317 minutes, 33 secondsHis understanding is that the word of God is God.
17:3817 minutes, 38 secondsThe Hindus, my ancestors, they say that the word of God is God.
17:4417 minutes, 44 secondsYou see, as such, he said, "How did God create this universe?" The Bible says in the book of Corinthians, I'm sure you know, you are
17:5317 minutes, 53 secondsnot a scholar, but you know, you are familiar with the Bible. In the book of Corinthians, it is said that by faith we know
18:0118 minutes, 1 secondthat the heavens and the earth we are created by the word of God and that the things visible came through the force invisible.
18:1218 minutes, 12 secondsIn the book of Genesis it says in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and he said
18:2118 minutes, 21 secondsthe word is and he said let there be light. Let there be light. Four words.
18:2718 minutes, 27 secondsAnd there was light.
18:3018 minutes, 30 secondsSo everything that God created was by his word.
18:3518 minutes, 35 secondsBy his will is another word for we say by his will because God doesn't use words like I'm using now. You know word
18:4318 minutes, 43 secondsof mouth dependent upon my mouth, my teeth, my tongue, my larynx, my lungs
18:5118 minutes, 51 secondsand your ears. All these things is dependent on all these factors. No, the
18:5918 minutes, 59 secondsword of God is his will. He created everything by his will and as such God Almighty created Jesus. It is not God
19:0719 minutes, 7 secondsbut it is his word. He said sun his word came into being. Moon, stars, heaven,
19:1619 minutes, 16 secondsearth, fish, foul, whatever he uttered actually what he willed they all came into being.
19:2419 minutes, 24 secondsBut now the word of God is not God.
19:2619 minutes, 26 secondsAccording to Islamic understanding, the word of God is his word. But it is not him.
19:3319 minutes, 33 secondsMy Hindu cousins they say the word of God is God. So when he said man, man is also God. Monkey. So we worship the
19:4119 minutes, 41 secondsmonkey. Elephant he worshiped the elephant. Everything is God's word. The cow, God said cow, he made the cow, we worship the cow because everything is God's word.
19:4919 minutes, 49 secondsWe say the word of God is not him. It is his. The difference is in your understanding. You say the word of God
19:5719 minutes, 57 secondsis God. You say no. The word of God is not God. It is his word. But it is not him. As my words are not me. I'm
20:0420 minutes, 4 secondsspeaking to you almost an hour now. And I can speak to you for hours.
20:1120 minutes, 11 secondsBut as I'm speaking to you, I'm not diminishing in size. And the same did.
20:1520 minutes, 15 secondsI'll get tired. I'm an old machine. But I can keep on talking. I can keep on talking thousands of words, millions of words, but you see me the same.
20:2720 minutes, 27 secondsWhy? Because my words are not me. If it was me, I'll start getting less and less. A molecule at 2, 5, 10, getting less.
20:3920 minutes, 39 secondsSo it is in the understanding the Christian agrees that everything that God created was by his word. They are his words, but they are not him.
20:4920 minutes, 49 secondsThey make an exception that in the case of Jesus, it is him. See, they make an exception. He is the spirit. Yes. What did God breathe into Adam?
21:0121 minutes, 1 secondThe Bible says he breathed into him of his spirit. Did his spirit come out and go inside Adam? No. No. That means it is
21:1121 minutes, 11 secondshis his spirit, his creation. The angels are his spirits. They are not him. They are his but they're not him. Now that is our idea concept as given in Islam.
21:2421 minutes, 24 secondsJesus Christ is one of the mightiest messengers of God but he's not God and he's not the begotten son of God. He's
21:3121 minutes, 31 secondsnot the begotten son. See because the Christian in your catechism the Anglican and the Lutheran and the Presbyterian
21:3721 minutes, 37 secondsand the Roman Catholic they say Jesus is the only begotten son. Begotten not
21:4421 minutes, 44 secondsmade. You remember that sir? Begotten not made. So we asking the English man. You see he doesn't want to hear that.
21:5321 minutes, 53 secondsThe American I said he doesn't want to hear that. I'm asking you said begotten not made. I'm asking what are you trying to emphasize?
22:0322 minutes, 3 secondsWhat are you really trying to tell me?
22:0622 minutes, 6 secondsSee this young man here? Please stand up. Abdul Latif stand up. If I call you my son, do you mind it? No. You think
22:1422 minutes, 14 secondsyour mother will mind it? No, you don't mind me calling you my son, right? Sit down.
22:2222 minutes, 22 secondsBut now I'm visiting your house with some friends and I'm calling uh your mom. I said,
22:2922 minutes, 29 seconds"Look, where is Abdul Latif? My son." She says, "He's just gone to the shop.
22:3322 minutes, 33 secondsHe's going to buy some milk and presently you come. You return." So we embrace my son. Oh no, I love you
22:4122 minutes, 41 secondsso much and all that. Sit down. He said, "Sit down. Sit around." Now my companion who doesn't know of a relationship is asking me. He said, "Is he really your
22:5022 minutes, 50 secondsson?" So I said, "No, you see this young man, he loves me like a father, like a
22:5722 minutes, 57 secondsgrandfather, and I love him like my child. I call him my son. It is metaphorical.
23:0323 minutes, 3 secondsBut instead, if I said yes, he is my begotten son," the meaning changes. You know that
23:1323 minutes, 13 secondsYou know I'm swearing him the worst swearing [music] I can give him but in a beautiful language. He is my begotten son. Meaning I have something to do with
23:2023 minutes, 20 secondshis mother. And with Allah I haven't seen her what she looks like. What am I saying? He is my begotten son.
23:2823 minutes, 28 secondsSo he understands the meaning now. He said uncle what did you say? I said no I don't mean that.
23:3423 minutes, 34 secondsI said I don't mean that. But I'm still telling doesn't he look like my Ysef? My Ysef. Doesn't he look like him? What am
23:4323 minutes, 43 secondsI saying? I'm putting salt into the wound that he is an illegitimate child. He's not his father's child. He's mine. He is in common language a bastard.
23:5223 minutes, 52 secondsCan you see? I'm swearing him in the most beautiful language. I said when I'm cornered, I said I don't mean that. Then
24:0124 minutes, 1 secondI said, why do you why you say why do you say that? You say Jesus is the only begotten son. Begotten not made. Ask any
24:0824 minutes, 8 secondsEnglish man, any English- speakaking person who's a Christian, you say, "Begotten, not made." What are you trying to emphasize? What are you really
24:1624 minutes, 16 secondstrying to tell me? That Jesus was begotten, not made. Because in his book, the Bible, God has got sons by the tons.
24:2224 minutes, 22 secondsTons, you know, ton. 2,000 was a ton. I don't know whether you use that anymore.
24:2724 minutes, 27 seconds2,000 ton. You have God has got sons by the ton in this Bible. Book of Genesis chapter 6
24:3424 minutes, 34 secondsverse three it says and the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair and they took them to wipe all that they chose.
24:4324 minutes, 43 secondsNext verse and when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men mean had interpass with them they b and bore
24:5124 minutes, 51 secondschildren to them they became great men of old men of renown. How many sons did he have? In the book of Exodus, God
24:5924 minutes, 59 secondssays, "Israel is my son, even my firstborn." In the book of Jeremiah, he said, "Ephraim is my son, [music] even my firstborn." In the New Testament, we
25:0725 minutes, 7 secondsare told, "As many as are led by the spirit of God are the sons of God. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry, if you follow the will and plan of God, in the language of
25:1625 minutes, 16 secondsthe Jew, [music] you are a godly person, you are a son of God." Like that, God has got sons by the tongues. But you say
25:2425 minutes, 24 secondsno Jesus is not like that. He was begotten not made. So explain ask any
25:3325 minutes, 33 secondsquestion please explain and it is shattering. Allah is shattering. Therefore sad that is a bad fellow.
25:3925 minutes, 39 secondsYou point at accuse him and swear him he doesn't mind. He is he can take it. But I said look please explain. He's
25:4625 minutes, 46 secondsshattering your language. You said begotten not made. What are you really thanking? Tell me. Come on. Come on tell me. I said this is my begotten not made
25:5525 minutes, 55 secondsnot metaphorically but literally what am I saying?
25:5825 minutes, 58 secondsWhat am I saying? Words if they have any meaning what do they mean? Therefore Allah reacts very strongly in the Quran
26:0826 minutes, 8 secondsand they say that the merciful god has begotten a son is one of the most abominable assertion
26:1526 minutes, 15 secondsone can make. The worst swearing you can give Allah is this. Giving him an animal nature, the lower animal functions of sex. The worst swearing you can give
26:2426 minutes, 24 secondsAllah is this. Like the worst swearing I can give this young man is to say he is my begotten son.
26:3126 minutes, 31 secondsAt it the skies are ready to burst and the earth to split aunder and the mountains to fall down in utter ruin.
26:4126 minutes, 41 secondsThey should say that Alman the merciful God has begotten a son. Allah reacts strongly because words if they have any meaning, it means what it says. You're
26:5026 minutes, 50 secondsattributing to God and animal nature, the lower animal functions of sex. Allah reacts. But the unfortunate part [music] is that the Muslims, he doesn't know the Quran. He's sitting on his backside.
27:0227 minutes, 2 secondsAllah is being abused, sworn, but he doesn't go to rectify the brother.
27:0627 minutes, 6 secondsRectify him. You're not saying go and bash his head, kick him out of the country. Well, he's welcome.
27:1427 minutes, 14 secondsLet him come, talk to him, reason with him. He said, "Look, brother, you have misunderstood the whole thing. [music] Son of God is the commonest expression
27:2327 minutes, 23 secondsin the Bible." You know, God has got tons by the sons by the tongs in your Bible. Your Bible says, "And Adam, the
27:2927 minutes, 29 secondsson of God, doesn't it? Ask him, any Christian, how many son has God got?" He said, "One." I said, "Look, brother, you
27:3727 minutes, 37 secondsdon't know your Bible, man. You see, you are ignorant." Wah. He's ignorant. He's got one son. I said he's got them by the tons in your book. Tons.
27:4727 minutes, 47 secondsSo this is what I'm trying to do to educate the people. Look, this is how to talk and reason with people. Arm
27:5327 minutes, 53 secondsyourself. Allah is telling you ask him for his proof for his [music]
28:0128 minutes, 1 secondwhatever he can come. You explain from your book now and you see that there is no explanation. He has to listen to you.
28:0728 minutes, 7 seconds[music] At least you have done your duty. You have to deal with the message.

Ahmed Deedat - Wikipedia

Ahmed Deedat - Wikipedia


Ahmed Deedat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shaykh Ahmed Deedat
Personal life
BornAhmed Husein Deedat[1][2]
1 July 1918
Died8 August 2005 (aged 87)
Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Resting placeVerulam cemetery
Spouse
Hawa Deedat
(m. 1937)
ChildrenYusuf Deedat
Parents
  • Hussien Kazem Deedat (father)
  • Fatma Deedat (mother)
Signature
WebsiteAhmed-Deedat.net
Religious life
ReligionIslam
DenominationSunni
JurisprudenceHanafi
Profession
Muslim leader
Influenced by
Influenced
AwardsKing Faisal International Prize (1986)
Years active1942–1996
Known forComparative religion

Ahmed Husein Deedat[a] (1 July 1918 – 8 August 2005) was an Indian-South African Islamic author, intellectual, and orator on comparative religion.[3][1] He was best known as a Muslim missionary, who held numerous inter-religious public debates with evangelical Christians, as well as video lectures on Islam, Christianity, and the Bible.

Deedat established the IPCI, an international Islamic missionary organisation, and wrote several widely distributed booklets on Islam and Christianity.[4] He was awarded the King Faisal International Prize in 1986 for his fifty years of missionary work. He wrote and lectured in English.[5]

Early years (1918–1942)

Deedat was born to Gujarati Muslim parents in the town of Tadkeshwar, British India in 1918.[6] His father had emigrated to South Africa shortly after his birth. At the age of 9, Deedat left India to join his father in what is now known as Kwazulu-Natal. His mother died only a few months after his departure. Arriving in South Africa, Deedat applied himself with diligence to his studies, overcoming the language barrier and excelling in school, even getting promoted until he completed standard 6. However, due to financial circumstances, he had to quit school and start working by the time he was at the age of 16.[7]

In 1936, while working as a furniture salesman, he met a group of missionaries at a Christian seminary on the Natal South Coast who, during their efforts to convert people of Muslim faith, often accused the Islamic prophet Muhammad of having "used the sword" to bring people to Islam. Such accusations offended Deedat and created his interest in comparative religion.[2]

Deedat took a more active interest in religious debate after he came across the book Izhar ul-Haqq (Truth Revealed),[8] written by Rahmatullah Kairanawi, while he was rummaging for reading material in his employer's basement.[9] This book chronicled the efforts of Christian missionaries in India a century earlier. The book had a profound effect on Deedat, who bought a Bible and held debates and discussions with trainee missionaries, whose questions he had previously been unable to answer.[2]

He started attending Islamic study classes held by a local Muslim convert named Mr. Fairfax. Seeing the popularity of the classes, Mr. Fairfax offered to teach an extra session on the Bible and how to preach to Christians about Islam.[2] Shortly thereafter, Fairfax had to pull out and Deedat, by this point quite knowledgeable about the Bible, took over teaching the class, which he did for three years.[10] Deedat never formally trained as a Muslim scholar.[11]

Early missionary work (1942–1956)

Deedat's first lecture, entitled "Muhammad: Messenger of Peace", was delivered in 1942 to an audience of fifteen people at a Durban cinema named Avalon Cinema.[12]

A major vehicle of Deedat's early missionary activity was the 'Guided Tours' of the Jumma Mosque in Durban. The vast ornamental Jumma Mosque was a landmark site in the tourist-friendly city of Durban. A program of luncheons, speeches and free hand-outs was created to give an increasingly large number of international tourists what was often their first look at Islam. Deedat himself was one of the guides, hosting tourists and giving introductions to Islam and its relationship with Christianity.[13]

In 1949, Deedat moved to Pakistan with his family and lived in Karachi for three years near Pakistan Chowk during which he became a Pakistani citizen under the Pakistan Citizenship Act, 1951.[14] According to an interview on Pakistan Television, he had been a strong proponent of the idea of an Islamic state.[14]

IPCI and as-Salaam (1956–1986)

Among Deedat's close friends were Gulam Husein Vanker and Tahir Rasul, whom many refer to as 'the unsung heroes of Deedat's career'.[7]

In 1957, these three men founded the Islamic Propagation Centre International (IPCI) with the aim of printing a variety of books on Islam and offering classes to new Muslims converts.[15] The next year Deedat established an Islamic seminary called As-Salaam Educational Institute on a donated 75-acre (30 ha) piece of land located in Braemar in the south of Natal province.[16] The experiment was not a success, however, because of the IPC's lack of manpower and paucity of funds, and was taken over by the Muslim Youth Movement of South Africa in 1973. Deedat then returned to Durban and expanded the IPC's activities.[2]

International efforts (1985–1995)

By the early 1980s Ahmed Deedat's work was beginning to be known outside his native South Africa. His international profile grew in 1986, when he received the King Faisal Award for his services to Islam in the field of Dawah (Islamic missionary activity).[2] As a result, aged 66, Deedat began a decade of international speaking tours around the world. His tours included:

  • Saudi Arabia and Egypt (on several occasions)
  • United Kingdom (on several occasions between 1985 and 1988, as well as Switzerland in 1987)[citation needed]
  • Pakistan, where Deedat met Zia al-Haq[2]
  • UAE and Maldives Islands (Nov–Dec 1987), where Deedat was honoured by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom[2]
  • The US (late 1986 featuring debates with Swaggart, Robert Douglas and several lectures including two in Arizona)
  • Sweden and Denmark (late 1991, featuring three debates)
  • US and Canada (1994, tour featuring debates in Canada and lectures in Chicago)
  • Australia (his last tour in early 1996, just before his stroke)

On the other hand, Deedat received heavy criticism from liberal Muslim groups in South Africa which felt he inaccurately represented Islam and was intolerant of people of other religions, including Christians, Hindus, Jews and Jains. Several monthly editions of the Muslim Digest of South Africa (July, August, September, October) in 1986 were almost entirely devoted to criticising Deedat's stance and "his various dangerous activities".[17]

Problems arose after the publication of From Hinduism to Islam (1987), a critique of Hindu beliefs and practices.[2] Among others, Deedat criticised South African Hindus for praying to their various deities and being easily moved to convert to Christianity.[18] Hindus and Christians had respected his oratory skills and arguments until then. But now, they rejected Deedat and united with other South African Muslim organisations in denouncing his attacks on other religions.[18] Two years later, Jews joined the criticism after Deedat published Arab and Israel – Conflict or Conciliation?[2]

In 1988, following the publication of Salman Rushdie’s fictional work The Satanic Verses, Deedat supported the fatwā of the Ayatollah Khomeini calling for Rushdie's death. He said that Rushdie "is a hypocrite and has blasphemed holy personalities. He should not be pardoned."[19]

In his last tour to Australia, the publicity resulting from the presence of Deedat caused Franca Arena, member of the Legislative Council of the government of New South Wales to comment in her speech concerning racism:

Of course, other victims of racism are often Australians who are visibly different, especially women who wear Muslim attire. While I condemn such attacks, I also condemn attacks against Christians by Muslims who come to Australia to sow the seed of religious hatred. In this regard I refer to Islamic evangelist Sheik Ahmed Deedat, a South African who, on Good Friday, spoke about Easter, indulged in bible-bashing and incited racial hatred. I am all for freedom of speech, but our leaders should show some understanding and, above all, respect for the views and beliefs of others. Australia can do without people like Sheik Deedat. I do not know why he came to Australia or why he adopted such a confrontationist approach on Good Friday at a big public meeting at Sydney Town Hall when he disparaged the Christian faith. I certainly do not support such an approach.[20]

Illness and death (1996–2005)

Ahmed Deedat suffered a stroke which left him paralyzed from the neck down because of a cerebral vascular accident affecting the brain stem (on 3 May 1996), leaving him unable to speak or swallow.[21] He was flown to King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, where he was reported to be fully alert. He learned to communicate through a series of eye-movements via a chart whereby he would form words and sentences by acknowledging letters read to him.[21]

He spent the last nine years of his life in a bed in his home in South Africa, looked after by his wife, Hawa Deedat, encouraging people to engage in Da'wah (proselytizing Islam).[21] He received hundreds of letters of support from around the world, and local and international visitors continued to visit him and thank him for his work.[2]

On 8 August 2005, Ahmed Deedat died at his home on Trevennen Road in Verulam in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. He is buried at the Verulam cemetery.[22] Hawa Deedat died on Monday 28 August 2006 at the age of 85 at their home.[23] His funeral prayer was led by Ismail ibn Musa Menk.[24]

Writings and speeches

Cover of Ahmed Deedat's book The Choice

With funding from the Gulf states,[11] Deedat published and mass-produced over one dozen palm-sized booklets focusing on the following major themes.[25] Most of Deedat's numerous lectures, as well as most of his debates in fact, focus on and around these same themes. Often the same theme has several video lectures to its credit, having been delivered at different times and different places.

  • Is the Bible God's Word?[26][27]
  • What The Bible Says About Muhammad.[28]
  • Combat Kit Against Bible Thumpers.[29]
  • Crucifixion or Cruci-Fiction
  • Muhammad: The Natural Successor to Christ.[30]
  • Christ in Islam[31]
  • Muhammad The Greatest.[32]
  • Al-Qur'an the Miracle of Miracles[33]

His famous quote is :

Islam will win with or without you. But without Islam, you will get lost and you will lose.[34]

Capitalizing on his popularity in the Middle East following his receipt of the King Faisal Award, Deedat secured a grant to print a collated volume of four of his popular booklets. 10,000 copies of this book titled The Choice: Islam and Christianity were initially printed in April 1993;[35][36] this book was very popular in the 1990s, available for free at many missionary outlets across North America. Subsequently, several printing houses offered to print more, and within two years another 250,000 copies had been printed in several print runs across the Middle East.

Later, a second paperback volume entitled The Choice: Volume Two containing six more of Deedat's booklets was published. Deedat also widely promoted a South African printing of The Holy Qur'an Translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali with commentary and a detailed index. This was widely sold at subsidised cost to the general public, and is often mentioned in Deedat's speeches.[citation needed]

Deedat also produced a booklet entitled "Al-Qur'an: the Ultimate Miracle" featuring the theory of 'the Number 19' that was popularised by Arizona-based Egyptian computer analyst Dr. Rashad Khalifa. However, this booklet was withdrawn after Dr. Khalifa disclosed some controversial beliefs, including his rejection of the entire Hadith literature of Islam.[37]

Style

According to one scholar, Brian Larkin, "Deedat's da’wa is of a particular kind. He has little to say about the errancy of Sufism or Shi’ism, for instance, and makes no particular demand for establishing an Islamic state (though he was supportive of these efforts in Nigeria). Rather his entire effort is directed at undermining and refuting Christian evangelism and arming Muslims against Christian attacks. His fame is thus based not on the mastery of Islamic sciences but on his thoroughgoing knowledge of the Bible. As one Nigerian characterized him, Deedat opened the eyes of millions of Muslims in the fine art of inter-religious dialogue." His knowledge of English, his skill at debating, and his mastery of other scriptures "endeared him to the millions who have seen his videos or read his tracts, millions of which are sent free of charge all over the world. ... Deedat's source of authority, then, is an unusual one, drawing on the mastery of Christian rather than Muslim texts and his skill at English rather than Arabic."[11]

Criticism

The building housing the IPCI was originally named the Bin Laden Centre, after Sheikh Muhammad bin Laden (patriarch of the Bin Laden family and father of Osama bin Laden) made a substantial donation toward its construction.[38] A family member later told South Africa's Sunday Times that the Bin Ladens had contributed around $5 million to the IPCI over the years.[39] In interviews given after the September 11 attacks, Deedat and his son Yusuf said Deedat had met Osama bin Laden in the 1980s through this family connection, describing him at the time as a "freedom fighter" recently returned from fighting in Afghanistan.[40][39] Deedat, who consistently argued against the use of force in religious propagation stating "he who takes his sword and tries to propagate with that will do little for himself" restricted his own missionary activity to public debate and written argument.[41]

"Deedat's debates and writings have been labelled as a form of "Apologetics through Polemics"[5] by David Westerlund, an associate professor at the department of comparative religion, Stockholm University and an expert on Islam in Africa.[42]"

Muslim scholar Farid Esack has criticised Deedat, comparing him to such fundamentalists as Rabbi Meir Kahane and Jerry Falwell, and writing:[43]

"Deedat's multitude of anti-Christian, anti-Jewish and anti-Hindu videotapes have told us all that there is to be told about the other, and we are comfortable with that. There are times, of course, when questions surface about the importance of correct dogma, about the importance of labels to a God whom we believe sees beyond labels and looks at the hearts of people. Instead of pursuing these questions, we hasten back and seek refuge in "the known." We order another of those Deedat tapes.[43]"

The Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism called Deedat "anti-Jewish" without providing any explanation.[44] In France sale and distribution of his books has been forbidden since 1994 as they are said to be violently anti-western, antisemitic and inciting to racial hate.[45]

His supporters, among them his son maintain that he was "a promoter of free speech and dialogue,"[3] while Abdulkader Tayob of University of Cape Town comments that he was only responding to Christian proselytization in a manner that was "not good or bad – but worth reflecting on."[3]

See also

Notes

  1.  Gujarati: અહમદ હુસેન દીદત; Urdu: احمد حسین دیدات; Arabic: أحمد حسين ديدات

References

  1.  "King Faisal Prize | Mr. Ahmad Husein Deedat". Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  2.  Obituary (Archive): Ahmed Hoosen Deedat (1918–2005): by Goolam Vahed, Department of History, University of KwaZulu Natal
  3.  Dziewanski, Dariusz (8 August 2015). "Remembering the life of Sheikh Ahmed Deedat". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  4.  Deedat, Ahmed (1980). Was Jesus Crucified?. Adam Publishers & Distributors. ISBN 978-81-7435-519-5.
  5.  David Westerlund, Ahmed Deedat's Theology of Religion: Apologetics through Polemics. Journal of Religion in Africa, 33(3). 2003
  6.  Ahmed Deedat Archived 18 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine Islamic Research Foundation. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
  7.  "The life of Shaikh Ahmed Deedat". Archived from the original on 25 February 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2007. By Asim Khan, 21 January 2006, on Aljazeera.net
  8.  M.Rahmatullah Kairanvi (2003) Izhar-ul-haq (The Truth Revealed Part 1-2-3), TAHA ISBN 978-1-8420-0046-5
  9.  Ahmed Deedat exposes lies of Shia scholar on YouTube[additional citation(s) needed] Interview. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  10.  "Ahmad Deedat: Man of mission". Arab News. 8 December 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  11.  Brian Larkin. "Ahmed Deedat and the Form of Islamic Evangelism" (PDF). Social Text 96, Fall 2008, p. 105. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  12.  Demystifying Islam and Debating Christianity Archived 22 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Imran Garda, 2006
  13.  "Durban See & Do Guide: Jumma Musjid Mosque". Archived from the original on 17 May 2009.
  14.  Ahmed Deedat On Pakistan Television (Interview) on YouTube
  15.  "Islamic Propagation Centre International". Archived from the original on 10 September 2001.
  16.  Islamic icon leaves behind a legacy, Independent Online, South Africa 9 August 2005
  17.  Muslim Digest, July–October 1986: 140
  18.  "South African Muslims reject anti-Hindu DVD". Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 12 March 2007., India E-news, Sunday, 12 March 2006
  19.  Vahed, Goolam; Ahmed Deedat: The Man and his mission, 2013, Islamic, Page 207
  20.  "Racism". Parliament of New South Wales. 30 May 1996. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
  21.  "Medical Report on Sheikh Ahmed Deedat". Archived from the original on 12 January 2002.
  22.  "- ارشيف اسلام اونلاين". Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  23.  Wife of Sheikh Ahmed Deedat passes on... Archived 27 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine by Shahid Akmal, The Muslim News, 7 September 2006
  24.  "الشيخ أحمد ديدات رائد دعوة النصارى إلى الإسلام في القرن العشرين". www.qaindex.com.
  25.  "ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY – A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS". 14 February 2009. Archived from the original on 14 February 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  26.  Is the Bible God's Word? Archived 17 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, by Ahmed Deedat
  27.  Deedat, Ahmad (1 June 1981). Is the Bible God's Word?. Islamic Propagation Centre International. ISBN 978-0-933511-04-0.
  28.  Deedat, A. What The Bible Says About Muhammed?. Islamic Book Service. ISBN 978-81-7231-020-2.
  29.  Deedat, Ahmed; Khan, Naved Nasir (25 June 2016). Combat Kit for Muslim (Islam). Salaam - Salah Vision.
  30.  Deedat, Ahmed (1992). MUHAMMAD : THE NATURAL SUCCESSOR TO CHRIST. Adam Publishers & Distributors. ISBN 978-81-7435-511-9.
  31.  Christ in Islam Archived 17 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, by Ahmed Deedat
  32.  Didat, Ahmad (1992). Muhammad the Greatest. Peace Vision. ISBN 978-1-4716-0441-6.
  33.  Al-Qur'an the Miracle of Miracles Archived 17 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, by Ahmed Deedat
  34.  "Ahmed Deedat. The Man and His Mission".
  35.  Deedat, Ahmed (2012). The Choice: Islam & Christianity. Adam Publishers & Distributors. ISBN 978-81-7435-014-5.
  36.  The Choice: Islam and Christianity, by Ahmed Deedat
  37.  "islam calling -". islam calling. Archived from the original on 26 February 2012.
  38.  Dziewanski, Dariusz (8 August 2015). "Remembering the life of Sheikh Ahmed Deedat". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  39.  "Durban family's close Bin Laden connection". Sunday Times (South Africa). 8 May 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  40.  Vahed, Goolam; Ahmed Deedat: The Man and his mission, 2013, Islamic, p. 215.
  41.  Dziewanski, Dariusz (8 August 2015). "Remembering the life of Sheikh Ahmed Deedat". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  42.  "David Westerlund · Ohio University Press / Swallow Press". www.ohioswallow.com. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  43.  To whom shall we give access to our water holes? Archived 25 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine, by Farid Esack
  44.  "Support-Page". Archived from the original on 7 August 2007.
  45.  Details for individual publications at Légifrance